Why are twelve tribes of Israel listed in the Bible when there were really thirteen?

Answer 1

I assume you refer to the Levite tribe as the thirteen. While it is true they were a tribe of isreal they were not given a land inheritance. They depended on the other tribes for their food stuff and standard of living. They were to be concern with the spiritual things of life not the material, so since the didn't own a part of the nation and could not pass on their inheritance they were often not listed as a tribe of isreal. I always thought of them as above it all because of their special duty.

Answer 2

Throughout the period of the judges the tribal system seems to have undergone change, including where the tribes lived and what the tribes were called. Judah is largely missing from the stories of the early judges, since Judah was apparently settled late in the premonarchic era. Judah is prominent in the stories set at the end of the period. Reuben also disappears from other fairly early sources, for example David's census in 2 Samuel 24 and the ninth-century Mesha Stela from Moab, and that same stela places Gadites in what was once Reubenite territory.

The oldest biblical passage with a list of tribes is the Song of Deborah in Judges 5, generally dated to the late twelfth or early eleventh century BCE. The Song lists only ten tribes, although the otherwise unknown Meroz could have been an eleventh tribe. Two of these tribes are not in the canonical list of twelve tribes, while Judah was not listed.

Genesis 49 lists twelve tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin.

Deuteronomy 33 lists eleven tribes: Reuben, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph (with both Ephraim and Manasseh named), Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher.

Thus we can see that in places The Bible gives us a glimpse of the real evolution of the Hebrew tribes, sometimes at odds with the more formulaic list more usually read from the Bible.

Answer 3

Twelve tribes are listed (Numbers ch.2) because that is their number. Jacob had twelve sons (Genesis ch.35), not thirteen. Since Joseph's tribe was honorarily made into two (Genesis ch.48), you might mistakenly think that the number of tribes was changed. But that is not the case. The number thirteen is never mentioned in the context of the tribes, and nor are thirteen groupings ever listed. Whenever Joseph's two sons are counted (Numbers 13), Levi is not (because of his unique status). And whenever Levi is included, Joseph is counted as one (Genesis 49).

Answer 4

It is really much simplier than you may think. In Genesis 48:5 we read what Abraham is saying to his son Joseph, "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, ARE MINE, as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine."

Abraham adopted as his own children, Joseph's 2 children making Israel now 13 tribes (counting Joseph 2x).

In verse 19, we see they are the inheritors of the 'birthright' blessing' with Ephraim becoming a 'multitude of nations (a Commonwealth) and Manasseh a great people (nation). Look at history and see which peoples fulfill these roles as God cannot lie and honored Abraham's blessings/prayers.

Interestingly, in the Book of Revelation chapter 7 when speaking of the 144,000 sealed of 'Israel' you will note Levi included but not Dan. Many times in Scripture when Joseph is used in the verse many bible scholars would point to it being Ephraim and here is verse 8 it is making both Manasseh and Ephraim for Joseph's inclusion.